An American Muslim Journal

American Muslims to join the public policy process in Illinois

Critical decisions are being made by our state's government.  Our state has a budget crisis, our public education system is largely failing our kids, unions seem to increasingly be in some people's crosshairs and some unions seem to be defensive to point of tuning out meaningful discussions on vital issues such as the quality of teachers in our public school classrooms.  Billions of dollars in expense payments to grassroots human services providers are grossly past due with no hope on horizon of being paid.

These are some of the issues impacting Illinois residents including the 400,000 and growing American Muslim community.  That's why I believe in and support efforts to engage American Muslims in greater levels of civic engagement.

Our community - the American Muslim community in Illinois - is adept at mobilizing in times of acute crises.  We are good at using Facebook, Twitter, blogs and bus companies to bring large numbers of people together for rallies and protests and big events.  In 2009 the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, an umbrella organization of about 53 Illinois mosques and other Muslim institutions, organized the first ever "Muslim Action Day" as a one day citizen lobbying exercise in the halls of the Illinois legislature and in the governor's mansion.  In 2009 about 450 people went to Springfield.  In 2010 CIOGC took 1000 people for its second "Muslim Action Day" and tomorrow (3/9/11) CIOGC is heading down to Springfield once again for it's third annual "Illinois Muslim Action Day".

This is a great event and worthy of support from the American Muslim community at large.  My concern is that this effort has not grown into something more comprehensive since it was first created in early 2009.  A large, energetic day of advocacy in Springfield is a great annual event to highlight civic engagement of American Muslims.  That leaves 364 more days in the year to build on the momentum, excitement and relationships that flow from a day in the state's capitol.  This is where we are lacking, and this is where we need to do more work.

In 2009 I was the executive director of CIOGC, and I worked extensively on organizing Muslim Action Day. I've since moved on professionally but I remain connected to CIOGC and this year (2011) I've tried to help with the civic engagement work of CIOGC.  I'm heading down to Springfield this evening and will be a part of the events tomorrow.  My main goal is to lend my skills and energy to legislative advocacy efforts by American Muslims in between the annual Springfield event.

I'd like to see a committee formed at CIOGC to focus on legislative issues.  If that doesn't pan out or if it seems ineffective, then I think it may be time to create a public policy advocacy organization to educate and train American Muslims in Illinois about public policy advocacy.

Reflections of a Muslim community worker and organizer and activist... What did I accomplish?

I've been on a sabbatical of sorts for the last 15 months.  I've been taking a break from being a community organizer and activist within the American Muslim community.  And now I don't want to go back.

I spent the last 12 to 15 years being an "activist" but when I look back on my efforts I don't see a lot of accomplishments or even much meaningful progress.  I joined groups like the Council of American Muslim Professionals (now the Council for the Advancement of Muslim Professionals)(CAMP), I helped create the Muslim Bar Association of Chicago, I worked on the board of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago and I worked for them a bit later as well.  I helped organize events, I attended dinners and I occasionally went to rallies or meetings with other activists and organizers.  That's a lot of work and a lot of effort, but none of it necessarily means I achieved anything.

This isn't a pity party.  It is what it is.  I'm just looking back and trying to make sense of some things.

Today I'm very skeptical of invitations to "get involved" with activities.  It's a healthy skepticism.  I'm not averse to spending my time on a useful project, but I need to understand its goals and objectives and I must have a well defined role in it.  And I don't do meetings and I don't do short notice anything.

The net result of these hurdles I've placed between me and community activities is to remove almost all of them from serious consideration.  The calls and emails I get are all short notice efforts when there is absolutely no need for a rush job.  The projects are still ego-driven efforts by largely the same caste and crew of "leaders".  I'm not interested in spinning my wheels in the sand.

I want to do useful and meaningful work that helps others.  I believe, more than ever before, that serving humanity is a core value in my Islamic faith and in my Muslim identity.  I just don't feel the need to fulfill this duty vis-a-vis Muslim-centric works.  In fact, I think I am more useful working outside of the traditional Muslim settings and among my friends within the non-Muslim community (these are people I once had a really strong bond with but whom I've neglected while being an "activist" and "organizer" within the Muslim community).

If anything I think I need to take what I know about the organized American Muslim community and from the traditionally observant American Muslim crowd and use it to help create a community for the majority of American Muslims in our community who simply don't identify with the American Muslim Establishment.

Unfortunately, I don't know how to go about getting this started...